Persimmons 2006

In Lisa Yuskavage’s painting, Persimmons, the scene is awash with warm yellows and pinks, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere. Imagine Yuskavage in her studio, carefully building up layers of oil paint, finding the right tones to capture this almost luminous quality. There’s a quiet intimacy in this painting. You can almost feel the stillness of the scene, as if time is suspended. The woman, lost in her thoughts, holds a piece of fruit, a simple act that feels imbued with meaning. It reminds me of other painters, like Bonnard, who found poetry in everyday moments. There is a fleshy roundness to everything which can be seen across Yuskavage's wider body of work. Painting is like a conversation, and Yuskavage is speaking to us through color, light, and form. She’s inviting us to slow down and contemplate the beauty in the ordinary, finding our own meanings in her artful arrangements.